Knowledge

"As for the sciences we have taken upon ourselves to teach, they are the function of the exoterist scholar, but they have shunned them and we feared lest they become extinct."


"We have found knowledge not by means of words and phrases, nor by jostling with other men, but by a heart freed from the world, by weeping in the deep of the night, and constant vigilance for the Almighty."


Imam Abdullah bin Alawi al Haddad - Sufi Sage of Arabia

With this I have been commanded ...

A man came to the Prophet (peace be uppon him) and asked him to give a gift, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I have nothing at my disposal, but purchase at my expense, for when something comes to me, I shall settle the debt." Umar r.a. therefore said: "O Messenger of Allah, you have given it, so Allah has not you with what is beyond your means!"

The Prophet (peace be upon him) disapproved fo what Umar r.a. said, so a man among the Ansar said: 'O Messenger of Allah, spend, and do not fear any impoverishment from the Lord of the Throne!" Allah's Messenger smiled (peace be upon him), and delight in the Ansari's saying was recognized in his face. Then he said: "With this I have been commanded!"

From Ash Shamail Al Muhammadiyya - Muhammad Bin Isa At Tirmidhi

Truth, Revealed Religions from Islamic Orthodoxy's view

Question

Is it possible that God does not merely save followers of other previously valid religions besides Islam out of a divine amnesty, but for the truth that exists in previous religions, including those such as Native American religions, and others?

Response:
http://shadhilitariqa.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=20

Purpose in life - my musing

It is often asked by individuals "What is my purpose in life?". Usually this question is asked in the context of career, family, work, etc related contexts. Quran clearly and directly answers,
 "I created jinn and mankind only to worship Me" 51:56. 


Maulana Rumi discusses this age old question,  in Fi hi m fi hi. He provides the example of a King who asks his servant to carry out a very specific task. The servant instead does many things, some very remarkable ones, but fails to do just that one thing that the King had asked him to execute. Thus, he returns a failure to the King. 


However, it must be kept in mind that worship means the sum of all our lives. Every act that we carried out must have been with the intention of pleasing God. And thus it is said in the Quran, 
"Say: surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds" 6:162

Martin Ling's interview

Martin Lings describes the first time he met Frithjof Schuon in 1938 and summarizes his life long relationship to Schuon.

Prayer fashions Man

"My servant cannot get near to Me through anything else more lovable to Me than doing the obligatory religious duties. However, by doing supererogatory duties he gets nearer to Me, and when he becomes near to Me, I shall be his eyes to see with, his ears to hear with, his hands to grasp with, and his legs to walk on."

Saying of the Prophet peace be upon him

James Cutsinger in his book about Frithjof Schuon (a.k.a Shaykh Isa, spiritual guide of Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj a.k.a. Martin Lings) writes: 

"As a sculptor fashions clay or a poet words - as the wind or a stream gives shape to a dune or a valley- so do a man's prayers, faithfully and persistently repeated over the course of his life, come in time to transform the substance of his soul, eliminating faults in his character, providing him with an increasing strength and stability, and bringing him step by step with God's help toward the fulfillment of his vocation to perfection. Anyone who doubts his truth, refusing out of pride or despair to call upon Heaven, has only to consult that most dazzling of proofs which is the existence of saints."

Mother o' Mine

"And revere the wombs that bore you, for God is ever watchful over you."
4:1 Quran

If I were hanged on the highest hill, 
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still, 
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea, 
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me, 
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were damned of body and soul, 
I know whose prayers would make me whole, 
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

by Rudyard Kipling

Is Ghazālī really the Halagu of Science in Islam?

I have always disagreed with "progressives" who have without knowledge of Imam Ghazzali, his teachings, and his times, have blamed him for the decline of science in the Muslim world. Such 'progressive' individuals take a simplistic approach to deduce their hypothesis. 

Instead the decline of science can be looked at from a variety of angles. For instance, from the view of Jared Diamond who wrote Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse. Finally, I believe that the decline of science and technology in Muslim world was a result of the 'perfect storm'. A storm caused by many factors - Imam Ghazzali was certainly not one of those factors. Read the following piece to understand why:

Following from: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1016

"Over the years, there has been considerable hype about Islam and science in our academic and public circles; and several books, journal and newspaper articles have been in the limelight. Fortunately, there is consensus on three facts. First, Muslims enjoyed a remarkable ascendancy in science for about five centuries, an ascendancy that was unrivalled by any contemporary civilization. Second, science has now dwindled to frighteningly low standards in the Muslim world and there is a critical need to rescue the Muslim culture from complete intellectual atrophy. Third, there exists the appreciation, at least in the Islamic intelligentsia, that science and Islam are compatible, but over and above these fundamental agreements, there is considerable dispute.

The Beaten Track

According to most traditional accounts of the historiography of science, Muslim scientists transcended in all major fields of scientific inquiry but their role remained, at best, one of an intelligent postman. They took the classic Greek sources and engaged in a massive translation and commentary enterprise, mostly under the patronage of the Abbasid Caliph Māmūn Ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd in his Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) around 830 C.E. After this translation movement, the end product was bequeathed to the West at the time of the so-called first Renaissance, around the 12th century. Science in the Islamic world then became irrelevant.

There are, however, serious problems with this approach. First, this assumes that Muslims by themselves were incapable of originating any new scientific ideas. The first Muslims were the desert-dwelling Arabs, incapable of any scientific mode of thinking.

The second misgiving is the supposition that the Muslim scientific consciousness somehow woke up from the dark languishing slumber in the early Abbasid period (750-900 C.E.), all by itself, but there was nothing inherent in the Islamic belief system or in the uniquely Muslim culture that could instigate this reawakening. The impetus was all foreign. In his recent book1, George Saliba presents ample historical evidence indicating that the unique administrative and political requirements of the growing Islamic empire provided thrust to the development of the exact sciences. One major impetus also came from the juridical requirements of the Islamic fiqh. For example, the complicated inheritance laws of Islam gave birth to the discipline of algebra; advanced computations of the obligatory taxes, the zakāh and the jizyah resulted in the maturing of the numerical and fractional sciences; and the requirements for prayer direction and timings laid the foundations for theoretical and observational astronomy, an endeavour that radically changed the theoretical models proposed by Ptolemy and eventually, paved the way for Copernicus’s revolutionary works. One could note that this model of religion enriching science works not only in the Islamic, but also in contexts of other religions. Of note, are the Babylonians who in needing to predict the appearance of different celestial phenomena as omens, started developing mathematical astronomy around 2000 B.C. and devised accurate tables around 500 B.C.

The Spectre of Ghazālī

The third most objectionable premise of the classical narrative is that the Muslim ascendancy in science was the exception, rather than the rule. The scientists were outcasts living at the fringes of a society that was under the grip of the clergy who shunned and resisted scientific thought, openly derided human reason, logic, deductive proof systems and philosophy, and were against all forms of art and music and the subtler delicacies of free inquiry. This line of thought has now become a fashionable premise in circles who squarely blame the Islamic orthodoxy for the major cause behind the current state of intellectual and scientific atrophy in the Muslim world.

A central figure in all of these debates is the theologian and philosopher, Imām Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī (1058-1111). His over-arching stature in the Islamic religious tradition aside, he is also considered to be one bitter enemy of the sciences. Several notable writers would have us believe that Ghazālī strangulated human reason and made it slavishly subservient to revealed knowledge. Furthermore, we are still reeling from the devastating blow inflicted by Ghazālī on human reason!

Not surprisingly, these acquisitions gain more credence when they come from the world’s leading scientists. For example, the Nobel Laureate and physicist, Steven Weinberg published his review2 on Richard Dawkin’s book where he comfortably pronounced: “Alas, Islam turned against science in the twelfth century. The most influential figure was the philosopher Ghazālī, who argued in The Incoherence of the Philosophers against the very idea of laws of nature, on the ground that any such laws would put God’s hands in chains. According to Ghazālī, a cotton piece placed in a flame does not darken and smoulder because of the heat, but because God wants it to darken and smoulder. After Ghazālī, there was no more science worth mentioning in Islamic countries [emphasis added].”

Another well respected and widely read figure in the subcontinent is the physicist, University Professor and social activist, Pervez Hoodbhoy, who very strongly claims “The most articulate and effective opponent of physical causality was Ghazālī. According to Ghazālī, it is futile to believe that the world runs according to physics laws [emphasis added]. 3

Recently, Jamīl Ragep presented a detailed overview4 of the illustrious tradition in the sciences that flourished well nigh after Ghazālī, discrediting claims that this great theologian of Islam stultified the progress of rational thought. In the present article, I would highlight excerpts from of Ghazālī’s own writings. While researching on this subject, I have come to realize that far from strangulating the spirit of free, scientific inquiry, this great theologian, in fact, promoted the scientific tradition.

As a major public theologian, arguably the most influential of all Muslim theologians, Ghazālī performed the task of placing Greek and Islamic thought in what he perceived to be their proper contexts. For example, in numerous places sprinkled throughout his numerous texts, he makes it very clear that his task is not to question the established truths in the natural order. Disputing these facts of nature, far from being a disservice to the scientific method, will be a disservice to religion itself. An instructive example is provided in the second introduction to his monumental Tahāfat al-Falāsifah (Incoherence of the Philosophers), where Ghazālī discusses the solar and lunar eclipses. After stating the “scientific” facts that the solar eclipse results from the moon intervening the sun and the earth and the lunar eclipse from the earth coming in between the sun and the moon, he writes:

Whosoever thinks that to engage in a disputation for refuting such a theory is a religious duty harms religion and weakens it. For these matters rest on demonstrations, geometrical and arithmetical, that leave no room for doubt. 5

Ghazālī on Mathematics

Let’s now see what Ghazālī’s position is on the subjects of mathematics and arithmetic. Hoodbhoy believes that Ghazālī condemns mathematics, rejecting the notion that anything good can be contained in it.

However, if one just reads through the texts one realizes that according to Ghazālī these are “exact” sciences with no connection with metaphysical or religious principles. Therefore, using mathematics to prove religious beliefs is, at best, absurd. These sciences are based on demonstrative proofs and their implications cannot be denied or affirmed in any religious connotation. In his autobiography, the Deliverance from Error, Ghazālī writes:

A grievous crime indeed against religion has been committed by the man who imagines that Islam is defended by the denial of the mathematical sciences, seeing that there is nothing in revealed truth opposed to these sciences by way of either negation or affirmation, and nothing in these sciences opposed to the truth of religion. 6

Furthermore, Ghazālī claims that metaphysics and religion are not in need of mathematics, just as poetry is not in need of mathematics, or philology or grammar can be mastered by anyone who is totally ignorant of the mathematical sciences.

Ghazālī warns his readers that every discipline of study has its experts, an expert in mathematics may not be an expert in grammar and an expert in geometry may fail miserably when it comes to matters of religion. In short, Ghazālī’s truck is not with mathematics, but with philosophers who could potentially lead people astray in matters of pure religion. Ghazālī makes this very clear in the introduction to the Tahāfat al-Falāsifa: he is not contradicting philosophers on points of semantics and definitions, nor does he disagree with them on issues that have no religious significance (such as eclipses). His major disagreements pertain to questions with three fundamental theological implications: (a) has the universe existed forever? (b) does God know all particulars? and (c) is bodily resurrection possible? It is in this topic and its likes, not any other, that one must show the falsity of their doctrine.7

Science as a Community Obligation

On the other hand, Ghazālī considers mathematics and arithmetic to belong to the category of the praiseworthy (mamdūh) sciences. In his book Revival of the Religious Sciences he writes:

Sciences whose knowledge is deemed fard kifāyah comprise [all] sciences which are indispensable for the welfare of this world such as: medicine which is necessary for the life of the body, arithmetic for daily transactions and the divisions of legacies and inheritances, as well as others. These are the sciences which, because of their absence, the community would be reduced to narrow straits. 8

The science of mathematics is a community obligation (a fard kifāyah) and furthermore, delving even deeper into the mysteries of mathematics and medicine has also been regarded meritorious. Ghazālī even laments that Muslims prefer a study of Islamic law over medicine and it becomes hard to find Muslim physicians, yet jurisprudents abound and often indulge in disputation, rancour, useless hair splitting and vehement diatribes, adding to confusion and strife. For example, an individual deciding to take up study of fiqh when there is a population in dire need of health care is someone “who neglects to give his attention to the calamity which has befallen a group of thirsty Muslims [and] is like the person who devotes his time to debate while several fard kifāyah duties remain neglected in town.”9

The Worldly and the other-Worldly

A major problem of Ghazālī’s times was that all forms of knowledge had acquired religious significance and so, points of intellectual dispute would often slip into bitter religious disagreements, leading to excommunication and heresy. Ghazālī addressed this situation by carefully proposing a classification scheme of all common forms of knowledge, placing Islamic jurisprudence, one major source of contention, at the level of “worldly disciplines”, not too superior to mathematics and medicine and regarding it as a collective duty of the community rather than an individual obligation. Such a ranking was in opposition to the generally held opinion of the Islamic scholarship, and was considered a sacrilege towards the religious merits of fiqh, but Ghazālī stuck to his position.

The Rationalist Mu‘tazilites and Irrationalist Ash‘arites

Ghazālī was a strong supporter of the Ash‘arites, one of the schools of thought upholding the necessity of divine intervention in the physical course of events and opposed to the Mu‘tazilites over important metaphysical and theosophical questions. In present-day literature, the Ash‘arites are generally presented as dogmatists, an orthodoxy engaged in blind imitation of the “tradition”, with no latitude for rational thought necessary for science. On the other hand, the Mu‘tazilites are the rationalists, the upholders of Greek logic, abstract thought and hence the true heirs and practitioners of the scientific method. 

However, one must remember that the rationalists did depend on tradition and likewise the tradionalists did depend on rationality. The distinction between these two groups is one of degree, rather than one of form. The rationalists believed in tradition, in the divine origins of the Qur’ān, in the need to interpret the Qur’ān, and their aim was not different from the conservatives: to affirm the transcendence and unity of God. As a result, Sherman Jackson in his introduction to Ghazālī’s text The Decisive Criterion of Distinction Between Unbelief and Masked Infidelity writes:

Meanwhile, rationalist writings reflect a clear and sustained recognition of the authority of the Aristotelian-Neoplatonic tradition, including the propriety of following it by way of taqlīd. Traditionalists, on the other hand, use reason – even aspects of Aristotelian reason – but they do not recognize the tradition of Aristotelian reason as an ultimate authority. 10

Furthermore, one must also remember that the one and only period of Mu‘tazilite’s political ascendancy was during the Emperor Māmūn al-Rashīd’s and Mu‘tasim’s reigns, extending from 813 to 842. This state-sponsored cultural prominence of Mu‘tazilism was short lived. How could it then explain the golden age of Muslim science that extends well beyond half a millennium?

As far as I see it, the real distinction between the two Mut‘tazilite and the Ash‘arite approaches is actually based on the Hellenophilic glorification of Aristotelian reasoning – a hellenophilia that is all the more evident in several modern accounts of the history of science. A critique of the Greek body of knowledge becomes a defining signature of irrationality, contributing to the demise of science in the Muslim lands, enshrouded in the coffins sewn by the religious orthodoxy, the last nail in the coffin driven by the Ash‘arites and the funeral pyre finally set on fire by Hujjah al-Islām Ghazālī.11

David Pingree in unequivocal language writes about this attitude:

Hellenophiles, it might be observed, are overwhelmingly Westerners, displaying the cultural myopia common in all cultures of the world but, as well, the arrogance that characterized the medieval Christian’s recognition of his own infallibility and that has now been inherited by our modern priests of science.

Finally, I come to the point of what Ragep calls “political spin” or “preconceived views” – an ideological framework that suits our conceptions of Islam. The compatibility of scientific work-habits and the rigorous demands of religious practice seems to be an alarming idea for many natural scientists. These days, a belief in or mentioning of “God” is likely to arouse surprise and ridicule in academic circles. Dawkins, Weinberg, Shermer and their followers are highly uncomfortable with a deity who interferes in our lives, a belief they would consider to be toxic to the promotion of science. For example, even though Hoodbhoy gives considerable concessions to his readers in his book, first published in 1991 by passing the verdict: “Scientists are free to be as religious as they please, but science recognizes no law outside it own”, yet in his latest article in the distinguished periodical Physics Today, he preaches:

The faithful must participate in five daily congregational prayers, endure a month of fasting that taxes the body, recite daily from the Qur’ān, and more. Although such duties orient believers admirably towards success in the life hereafter, they make worldly success less likely. A more balanced approach will be needed. 12

It will be useful for many working Muslim scientists to discover what a “more balanced approach” means with regards to the five daily congregational prayers and the month of Ramadan! But remember that this sermon is also a strict piece of advice to all practising Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Jews who desire worldly success in their scientific careers."

The few, the proud, the Pathans ... beware Sayyids :)

"Such a power is, naturally, greatest in the case of the saintly people, and therefore it is small wonder that almost every place in the Muslim world contains a tomb or a mausoleum. Sir Thomas Arnold has told the famous story about the poor Pathans who smarted under the sad fact that they had no tomb in their village; thus they invited a passing sayyid to stay with them, regaled him and ‘made sure of his staying in the village by cutting his throat’, so that they could erect a beautiful mausoleum for him in order to enjoy the blessings that radiated from his last resting place,^36"


Deciphering the Signs of God: A Phenomenological Approach to Islam 1991–1992

It was from jannah and it went to jannah

A flower nibbed in the bud, it was from jannah
and it went to jannah,
but has left its fragrance in my mind.


Attributed to Imam Ali r.a ... upon the passing away of Fatima r.a.

Confronting fears and putting oneself in difficult situations

One of the Sufis of past, combated cowardice and faint-heartedness in his soul by acquiring bravery in the seas. He would put himself during winter time in seas when the swell was at its roughest.

From the Breaking of two desires by Imam Ghazali.

Related post:http://khaadim.blogspot.com/2010/02/purification.html

Good Character

"A bondsman of God may attain through his good character high and noble degrees in the Afterlife, even though he be feeble in his worship."

"All creatures are God's children, and those dearest to God are the ones who treat His children most kindly."

"The most beloved of you to me on the Day of Arising, and the ones who shall sit closest to me, will be the best of you in character."

- Hadith in The Breaking of the Two Desires by Imam Ghazali.

Purification

To discipline the ego
always isolate yourself.
Keep silent, sleepless, hungry,
you'll then control yourself. 

Imam Al Haddad 
From the Mantle Adorned 

There are many ways to isolate yourself. To keep the "self" silent, sleepless, hungry, and in control. One way is adventure/travel/exploration in harsh conditions. It brings out the best of human qualities. For it requires self-denial, courage, compassion for companions, and ultimately extreme patience with ones situation to undertake such arduous journeys. 

Nuruddinzangi has posted Shaykh Ahmed Idris's r.a. words, which have touched on this subject. For many days before this post I had thought of the spiritual reasons to undertake difficult expeditions over mountains and across seas. My own reason primarily being the "freeness" one experiences and the realization of ones 'utter' dependence on Allah, and ultimately the peace one finds in midst of nature. 

However, Shaykh Ahmed Idris's r.a. words have provided me with what I had been seeking. Shaykh Ahmed Idris mentions that his shaykh, Abd Al Wahab at Tazi, used to say 
“There is nothing good in the sea except one: the attachment of the heart to Allah alone.” And right he was. For the human experiences the cutting off of all attachments except from Allah Most High, so that even if the Sultan was with you on the sea, you do not rely on him. No- he is scared like you, restless. And so the sea, even if in riding it there are terrors, its tribulations are good, a blessing. For the best of tribulation is the one that produces pure tawhid. He who rides the sea is secure from shirk: “But when He saves them and brings them to the land, then they commit shirk.” (Q 29:65)

Prudence, Courage, Temperance, Justice

Q: Patience is a beautiful virtue … the cry of Prophet Yaqub …. “fa sabran jamil.” Patience, it appears, is not an isolated virtue but rather it is connected to a network of virtues. Should Muslims focus on this virtue at the expense of the other virtues? 


A: The traditional virtues of a human being were four and Qadi Ibn Al-Arabi considered them to be the foundational virtues or the ummahatul fadaa’il of all of humanity. They are: prudence, courage, temperance, and justice. 


Prudence, or rather practical wisdom, and courage, are defining qualities of the Prophet. He, peace be upon him, said that God loves courage even in the killing of a harmful snake. 


Temperance is the ability to control oneself. Incontinence, the hallmark of intemperance, is said to occur when a person is unable to control himself. In modern medicine it is used for someone who can’t control his urine or feces. But not so long ago the word incontinence meant a person who was unable to control his temper, appetite or sexual desire. Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates one’s appetite in accordance with prudence. In early Muslim scholarship on Islamic ethics, justice was considered impossible without the virtues of prudence, courage and temperance. 


Generosity as a virtue is derived from courage because a generous person is required to be courageous in the face of poverty. Similarly, humility is a derivative from temperance because the humble person will often restrain the urge to brag and be a show-off because he or she sees their talents and achievements as a gift from Allah and not from themselves. Patience as a virtue is attached to the virtue of courage because the patient person has the courage to endure difficulties. So “hilim” (from which you get “halim”), often translated as for-bearance or meekness if you wish, is frowned upon in our society. Yet it is the virtue we require to stem the powerful emotion of anger. Unrestrained anger often leads to rage and rage can lead to violence in its various shades. 


Our predecessors were known for having an incredible degree of patience while an increasing number of us are marked with an extreme degree of anger, resentment, hate, rancor and rage. These are negative emotions which present themselves as roadblocks to living a virtuous life. 


A patient human being will endure tribulations, trials, difficulties, hardships, if confronted with them. The patient person will not be depressed or distraught and whatever confronts him will certainly not lead to a loss of comportment. 


Allah says in the Qur’an: “Isbiru.” “Have patience and enjoin each other to patience.” 


The beauty of patience is that “innallaha ma’assabirin” Allah is with the patient ones. If God is on your side you will always be victorious. Allah says in the Qur’an “Ista”inu bi-sabiri was-salat.”” Isti”aana is a reflexive of the Arabic verb “aana” which is “to help oneself.” Allah is telling us to help ourselves with patience and prayer. 


This is amazing because the Prophet, peace be upon him, said “if you take help, take help from God alone.” And so in the Qur’an, Allah says: “ista inu hi-sabiri was-salaat”. This means taking help from patience and prayer because that is the means by which Allah has given you to take help from Him alone. 


How is it then that a person sees himself as a victim when all calamities, difficulties and trials, are ultimately tests from Allah. This does nor mean the world is free of aggression and that victims have suddenly vanished. What I”m talking about is a person”s psychology in dealing with hardships. 


The sacred law has two perspectives when looking at acts of aggression that are committed by one party against another. When it is viewed by those in authority the imperative is to seek justice. However, from the perspective of the wronged, it is not to seek justice bur instead to forgive. 


Forgiveness, “afwa”, pardon, is nor a quality of authority. A court is not set up to forgive. It’s the plaintiff that’s required to forgive if there is going to be any forgiveness at all. Forgiveness will not come from the Qadi or the judge. The court is set up to give justice but Islam cautions us not to go there in the first place because “by the standard which you judge so too shall you be judged.” That’s the point. If you want justice, if you want God, the Supreme Judge of all affairs, to be just to others on your behalf, then you should know that your Lord will use the same standard with you. 


Nobody on the “Day of Arafat” will pray: “Oh God, be just with me.” Instead you will hear them crying: “O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, have compassion on me, overlook my wrongs.” Yet, these same people are not willing to forgive, have compassion and mercy on other creatures of God. 


Q: Imam Al-Ghazali argued that for these virtues to be effective they had to be in harmony. Otherwise, they said, virtues would quickly degenerate into vices. Do you think that these virtues exist today among Muslims but that they are out of balance? For example, the Arabs in the time of the Prophet had courage, but without justice it was bravado. Prudence without justice is merely shrewdness. Do you think that Muslims are clamoring for justice but have subsumed the virtues of temperance and prudence? 


A: Yes. Muslims want courage and justice but they don’t want temperance and prudence. The four virtues relate to the four humors in the body. Physical sickness is related to spiritual sickness and when these four are out of balance, spiritual and moral sickness occurs. So when courage is the sole virtue, you no longer have prudence. You are acting courageously but imprudently and it’s no longer courage but impetuousness. It appears as courage but it is not. A person who is morally incapable of controlling his appetite has incontinence and thus he cannot be prudent nor courageous because part of courage is to constrain oneself when it is appropriate. Imam A1-Ghazali says that courage is a mean between impetuousness and cowardice. 


The interesting point to note about the four virtues is that you either take them all or you don’t take them at all. It’s a packaged deal. There is a strong argument among moral ethicists that justice is the result of the first three being in perfect balance. 


http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=113

Reality of being a Syed

Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani wrote in one of his books the true meaning of being a descendant of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In short, his statement was that you are not his descendant until you have become his spiritual descendant.

In my early youth this lesson was taught to me by my grandfather: one needs to become a 'syed', it isn't something given at birth.

A few days ago I ran into this piece by Shaykh Ahmed Al-Alawi about the meanings behind the benedictions upon the Prophet peace be upon him.
http://marifah.net/articles/Salawat-alawi.pdf

In it he writes Imam Nabulusi's verse:
"Oh what glory in the tie which bonded Salman to (him)
     By the utterance of TaHa, the messenger of Allah, the noblest Prophet!
"Salman is among us, indeed part of our household,
     Even though he is Persian and not an Arab."

An Inspiration ...

On Sacrifice

A thought came to my mind when thinking of sacrifice and fulfilling my rights and obligations in life. The life of Owais Al Qarni r.a. came to mind. Owais Al Qarni lived during the Prophet's (peace be upon him) time, but never saw him in person.

He made just one trip or maybe two to meet the Prophet (peace be upon him), but unfortunately for him the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not in Madinah at that time. Owais Al Qarni then spent the rest of his life in Yemen, in the wild, in anonymity. He did not return to Madina because he took care of his old mother. It was because of his mother's needs that he was never able to visit Madinah again. He took care of her until she passed away. Thus, making a tremendous sacrifice of not seeing the most beloved person to him, even more beloved to him than his mother!

Imagine what went through his heart - the Prophet (peace be upon him) was so close to him, probably just a few weeks journey - at most a month or two. Yet, he could not go see him. But, by serving his mother, and his separation from the beloved, he reached the status of a Companion!

His sacrifice must have been extremely difficult for he was madly in love with the Prophet (peace be upon him). It is said that upon hearing of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) injuries at Uhud, Owais Al Qarni broke his own teeth out of - his love.

It wasn't until Umar r.a. and Ali r.a. visited him, after the Prophet's (peace be upon him) physical passing away from this world that the Muslims got to know who this "mad man" was.The same mad man about whom the local inhabitants said to Ali and Umar r.a.: "he laughs when others weep, and weeps when others laugh".  Imam Ali and Umar r.a. visited him on the instructions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to deliver to him the shawl the Prophet (peace be upon him) was wearing in his last days.

I have also heard from my grandfather that Umar r.a. at one point even offered Owais Al Qarni a regular stipend from the nation's treasury, which Owais Al Qarni r.a. declined and instead pulled out a piece of bread and said that it was enough for his needs.

I am thankful to God for inspiring this specific lesson of sacrifice from Owais Al Qarni's life r.a. And I am forever indebted to my grandfather, my spiritual mentor,  for introducing me to Owais Al Qarni's life, for teaching me what came first in life, for setting my priorities straight. 
- Khaadim 

The Most Merciful

I am the dejected one
at the mercy of the Most Merciful.
I am a sinner weak

at the mercy of the Most Merciful.

I am the afflicted one

at the mercy of the Most Merciful.

I am the one lost,

at the mercy of the Most Merciful.

I am but a speck
at the mercy of the Most Merciful,
I am naught and 

He is the Most Merciful.

- Khaadim

The Chisti Way

"Never seek any help, charity, or favors

from anybody except God.

Never go the court of kings,

but never refuse to bless and help the needy and the poor,

the widow, and the orphan, if they come to your door."

- Message of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz for his disciples 

This message has been followed perhaps by all Chisti teachers. Therefore, no leader or individual holding a position of power has ever been able to visit Nizam ud din Awliya in Delhi, India. This was told to me by one of the many caretakers of his tomb. 

Another example of a wali is that he did not let a ruler of a certain province visit him to pay his respects. His response to him was something along the lines: We, Sufis, have two doors. One from which you shall enter, the second from which we shall leave. 

The Deputy of the Prophet in Hind (Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti)

His last address:

Love all and hate none.
Mere talk of peace will avail you naught.
Mere talk of God and religion will not take you far.
Bring out all the latent powers of your being
and reveal the full magnificence of your immortal self.

Be overflowing with peace and joy,
and scatter them wherever you are
and wherever you go.

Be a blazing fire of truth,
be a beauteous blossom of love
and be a soothing balm of peace.

With your spiritual light,
dispel the darkness of ignorance;
dissolve the clouds of discord and war
and spread goodwill, peace, and harmony among the people.

Never seek any help, charity, or favors
from anybody except God.
Never go the court of kings,
but never refuse to bless and help the needy and the poor,
the widow, and the orphan, if they come to your door.

This is your mission, to serve the people.....

Carry it out dutifully and courageously, so that I, as your Pir-o-Murshid,
may not be ashamed of any shortcomings on your part
before the Almighty God and our holy predecessors
in the Silsila on the Day of Judgment.

Victor Hugo's Poem on the Prophet (peace be upon him)

"Comme s’il pressentait que son heure était proche,
Grave, il ne faisait plus à personne un reproche ;
Il marchait en rendant aux passants leur salut ;
On le voyait vieillir chaque jour, quoiqu’il eût
À peine vingt poils blancs à sa barbe encor noire ;
Il s’arrêtait parfois pour voir les chameaux boire,
Se souvenant du temps qu’il était chamelier."
http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/L’An_neuf_de_l’Hégire


Separately, Abdul Hakim Murad (from The Mantle Adorned) provides a selection from Victor Hugo's poem in English:


"The silenced crowd
Moved backward as he passed along his way,
The people's gaze was soft as the dove's eye,
Resting upon that man, august."